Collapsible traffic signal



May 15, 1934.

J. T. BOATWRIGHT 1,959,075 COLLAPSIBLE TRAFFIC SIGNAL Original FiledFeb. 23, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor WW1 @WW Attorneys y 1934- J. T.BOATWRIGHT 1,959,075

7 COLLAPSIBLE TRAFFIC SIGNAL Original Filed Feb. 23, 1932 2 Sheets Sheet2 z 2 7 L 7i i o Z6 -30 l7 m 3 /z .5 3 22 1' i a! i g I, 9 z iii g." 3/

"'1 V5 [nventar why W QZJ W Patented May 15, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENTorFicE of one-half to Gus E. Calif.

Heinze, Huntington Park,

Application February 23, 1932, Serial No. 594,486

Renewed October 10, 1933 8 Claims.

My invention relates to collapsible traflic signals, and has particularreference to a signal or traflic button adapted to be inserted in thesurface of a roadway as a marker for vehicles. Collapsible trafiicsignals have been proposed in the prior art having the proposed objectof permitting the signal to normally extend above the surface of theroadway, but capable of being depressed level with the surface of theroadway if struck by a vehicle passing thereover. However, all of theseprior devices have had the disadvantage that due to their constructionthe friction between the projecting signal and the housing in which thesame was designed was so great that when the button was struck by avehicle traveling at any considerable rate of speed the extended signalhousing would be clamped together in such manner as to prevent thedescent of the signal.

It is therefore an object of my invention to provide a traffic signal ofthe collapsible type in which the extended dome and housing are soarranged as to reduce the friction thereof'to a minimum degree andpermit effective operation of the signal irrespective of the speed ofthe vehicle which strikes it.

Another object of the invention is to provide a trafiic signal of thecharacter described, in' which the housing member is so shaped upon itsinterior that transverse forces which may be exerted as a result of thestriking of the dome will be adequately taken care of so as to preventthe binding of the dome upon the housing.

Another object of the invention is to provide a traffic signal in whichthe extended dome is permitted considerable lateral motion as itdescends into the housing and in which the employment of the signal isaccurately guided to prevent undue displacement of the signal member.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from a study of thefollowing specifications, read in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein Fig. l is a top plan view of a collapsible trafficsignal constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical, sectional view taken along line IIII of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical, sectional view taken along line IIIIII of Fig. 1;and

Fig. 4 is a detail, transverse sectional View taken along line IV IV ofFig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, I have illustrated a collapsible traflicsignal as comprising a dome member 1, substantially pyramidal in shape,the

side walls 2 of which rise with considerable abruptness from thelowermost portion or base 3 of the dome member. The base of the domemember is illustrated as extending outwardly to form a peripheral flangedesignated by the reference character'4 for the purpose of engaging theunderneath side of a retaining flange or ring 5 to be secured to ahousing 6.

The dome 1 is illustrated as being formed from a plurality of nestedlaminations of suitable material, such as steel stampings. For example,the inner lamination 7 may be formed of any relatively inexpensive steelwhich has the property of resisting distorting forces, while the outershell or lamination 8 may be formed of some material which will take arelatively high polish or which will resist corrosion, stain, rusting,and other deteriorative effects which would tend to discolor or diminishthe pleasing appearance of the material.

As is illustrated, the dome member 1 may be provided with a plurality ofsets of reflectors 9 each of which-is preferably constituted of a suitably shaped solid piece of glass or similar material having a curvedouter surface 10 terminating in a radial shoulder 11 spaced aconsiderable distance from the rear end 12 of the reflector. A bracketfor supporting the reflector or reflectors in the housing may comprise astamping of sheet metal 13 having a peripheral flange 14 formed thereonadapted to be received in the space between the inner lamination 7 andthe outer lamination 8 of the housing member 1 as by means of forming asuitable opening 15 through both of the shells or laminations extendingover the area to be covered by the bracket 13 and bending rearwardly toform a border flange 16 around the opening to provide the necessaryspace between the two laminations. The bracket 13 may be provided with asuitable series of circular openings adapted to receive the curved outerend of the reflector 9 so that the shoulder 11 on the reflector abutsthe periphery of these circular openings. A backing plate 17 may beprovided to hold the reflectors in the assembled position.

By referringparticularly to Figs. 2 and 3, it will be observed that thedome member 1 is adapted to be received in the housing member 6, whichhousing member 1 is composed of two relatively long strips of metal 18and 19 arranged crosswise of each other and secured at their centers bymeans of a suitable securing device such as a rivet 20] The strip ofmetal 19 is illustrated as having both of its ends bent upwardly to forma curved side for the housing 6. It should be observed that each end ofthe strip 19 is bent into a configuration extending outwardly aconsiderable distance beyond the normal vertical path described by theouter edge of the flange 4 of the dome 1, the metal 19 being bentinwardly near its upper end at 21 to engage a retaining ring or flange22 at a position close to the periphery of the flange 4. The curvedmetal 19 therefore provides a side wall for the housing 6 which isformed with an outward arc extending beyond the normal vertical path ofmovement of the dome 1.

In like manner, the strip of metal 18 has each of its ends bent upwardlyaround the side edges of the strip 19, each of the ends extending upwardly and outwardly to form a similar arc at 23 to that are which isformed by the ends of the strip 19.

The upper ends of each of the strips'18 and 19 are illustrated as beingwelded to the peripheral flange 22 so that the peripheral flange 22 andthe two strips 18 and 19 constitute a unitary housing member, thecorners 24 of which are open.

The assembled flange 22 and strips 19 may be set into a suitable openingin the roadway and concrete or similar material may be filled in aroundthe housing 6 in such. manner that a portion of the filling materialwill extend into the space 25 between the inwardly curved upper end ofeach of the ends of the strips 18 and 19 and the adjacent flange 22.Hence no other means of securing the housing in the road surface isrequired, as the material filling in the space 25 engages and holds thehousing against either displacement or removal.

The-housing member so set may then be assembled with the dome member asby inserting into the housing a guide tube 26 which has its lower end 27bent inwardly to form a curved end upon the tube. The open end 28 of thetube 26 is placed directly over the projecting end 29 of the rivet 20,which preferably is of such construction that its'end 29 extends aconsiderable distance into the interior of the housing 6.

A spring 30 may then be inserted into the tube 26 to abut upon asuitable washer'31 located at the bottom of the tube 26. The dome member1- is illustrated as having a guide tube 32 secured to its inner surfaceimmediately above the apex of the pyramid shape of the dome 1, such tube32 being secured in any suitable manner as by welding the upper end ofthe tube to the inner lamina tion 7 of the dome, as is indicated at 33.Preferably the size of the tube 32 is such as to receive'therein theupwardly extending end of the tube 26, since by employing the upper tube32 of larger diameter a greater area is provided for welding the tube 32to the housing 1. The dome 1 may then be assembled upon the housing bytelescopically engaging the tube 32 with the spring 30 and then pressingthe dome downwardly to telescopically engage the tube 26 within the tube32.

The dome 1 may then be depressed to a posi- J tion at which the flange 4lies below the plane of the flange 22, after which the retaining ring orretaining flange 5 may be placed over the dome and secured to thehousing flange 22 as by means of suitable bolts or screws 34.

The operation of my device is as follows: The assembled dome andhousing, as described hereinbefore, when placed in the roadway permitsthe dome 1 to normally project above the surface of the roadway(indicated by the reference character in such position that it may be.readily visible to drivers of vehicles passing over the roadway. Theprojection of the dome 1 is such that the reflectors 9 normally lieabove the plane of the roadway so that they, too, may be readily visibleto the drivers of vehicles on the road. However, if a vehicle should bedriven over the dome 1, the forces exerted by the contact will force thedome downwardly within the housing 1, and thus remove the dome as anobstruction to the passage of the vehicle. It will be understood thatthe force which will be exerted by contact between the vehicle and thedome will be directed laterally and downwardly relative to the dome. Forexample, this force will be exerted in the direction of the arrow X anddependent upon the speed of the vehicle which strikes the dome thedirection of this force will approach the housing in proportion to theincrease in speed of the vehicle. That is, the normal inertia of thedome 1 against movement will be such that the effective force tending todrive the dome downwardly will be more nearly horizontal than verticaland hence the dome 1 will be struck with a considerable lateral forcetending to swing the dome in a lateral direction rather than to depressit. However, the force of impact will result in a downward movement ofthe dome. The exertion of the lateral force will tend to push the domesidewise against the flange 5 and against the inner surface of the plate19, so that as the dome 1 is depressed it would bind upon the innersurface of the plate 19. However, by providing the outward curve uponthe plate 19, a considerable lateral movement of the dome may bepermitted without severe friction being exerted between the flange 4 andthe surface of the plate 19. That is, the angle at which t. e upperportion of the plate 19 extends outwardly may be so designed as topresent an angular surface to the flange 4 such that the lateralmovement of the dome will be employed to aid in the downward movement ofthe dome and thus prevent binding of the dome upon the sides of thehousing. The angle may be computed to adapt the dome for readydepression upon receiving an impact of an automobile or other vehicletraveling at any given rate of speed.

It will be observed that the telescopically assembled guide tubes 26 and32 will tend to guide the dome toward the vertical center line of thebase though lateral displacement of the dome by impact may occur.Moreover, the employment of the guide tubes 26 and 32 insures that adownward force applied anywhere over the area of the dome will cause thedome to be depressed in a substantially vertical direction except forthe small amount of lateral displacement which is permitted, ashereinbefore described.

However, upon the return movement there is a tendency for the dome tomove laterally, due to the reaction of the wheel passing off of thedome, hence the same curvature which assisted in the reduction offriction on the downward movement assists in reducing the friction onthe upward movement by providing such lateral space as is is required toovercome the slight lateral displacement of the dome.

Moreover, the curved lower end of the tube 26 constitutes substantiallya ball and socket conres its

nection between the tube 26 and the housing 6, 1. J thereby permittingthe lateral movement of the the device may be readily removed by merelyremoving the flange 5, removing the dome 1, the spring and tubes 30, 32and 26, after which the opening left by the removal may be filled inwith suitable road material and the housing left in the roadway. Sincethe housing merely comprises the two strips of metal and their retainingflange and rivet, this amount of material is relatively inexpensive andtherefore can be discarded without great expense and in fact thediscarding of the material will ordinarily be less expensive than wouldbe required to open the roadway necessary for its removal.

It will be further observed that by making the housing 6 of the twocrossed strips of metal, the corners 24, which are left open, provideample space for any dirt, dust or debris to pass out of the housing,preventing clogging of the housing and possible interference with theoperation of the dome.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of myinvention, I do not desire to be limited to the details of constructionshown or described herein, except as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a collapsible traific signal, a dome member having side wallsextending upwardly and inwardly from a base toward a common center, ahousing member for receiving said dome member when depressed, saidhousing member having an open top, the inner periphery of which issubstantially equal to the periphery of the said base of said dome,means normally maintaining said dome in extended position with the baseof said dome lying immediately below the plane of said open top, saidhousing having side walls extending outwardly and downwardly from saidopen top to provide an angular surface of engagement between said domeand housing to reduce friction between the base of said dome and saidhousing member when said dome is moved downwardly under lateral andvertical impact.

2. In a collapsible trafflc signal, a dome member having side wallsextending upwardly and inwardly from a base toward a common center, ahousing member for receiving said dome member when depressed, saidhousing member having an open top, the inner periphery of which is sustantially equal to the periphery of the said base of said dome, meansnormally maintaining said dome in extended position with the base ofsaid dome lying immediately below the plane of said open top, saidhousing having side walls curving outwardly and downwardly from saidopen top to provide an angular surface of engagement between said domeand housing to reduce friction between the base of said dome and saidhousing when said dome is moved downwardly under lateral and verticalimpact.

3. In a collapsible trafflo signal, a dome member having side wallsextending upwardly and inwardly from a base toward a common center, ahousing member for receiving said dome member when depressed, saidhousing member comprising a peripheral flange forming an open top andside walls extending outwardly and downwardly from the inner peripheryof said peripheral flange, means normally maintaining said dome inextended position with the base of said dome lying immediately below theplane of said open top.

4. In a collapsible traflic signal, a dome meinher having side wallsextending upwardly and inwardly from a base toward a common center, a

housing member for receiving said dome member when depressed, saidhousing member comprising a peripheral flange forming an open top andhav ing side walls extending from said peripheral flange to a bottom,the portion of said side walls immediately below said peripheral flangeextending outwardly and downwardly, and means normally maintaining saiddome in extended position with the base of said dome lying immediatelybelow the plane of said open top.

5. In a collapsible tralnc signal, a dome member having side wallsextending upwardly and inwardly from a base toward a common center, ahousing member for receiving said dome member when depressed, saidhousing member comprising a peripheral flange forming an open top, and apair of elongated plates secured in cross relation to each other andhaving the ends thereof bent toward each other to engage said peripheralflange.

6. In a collapsible traffic signal, a dome member having side wallsextending upwardly and inwardly from a base toward a common center, ahousing member for receiving said dome member when depressed, saidhousing member comprising a peripheral flange forming an open top, and aplurality of substantially rectangular side walls each extending fromsaid peripheral flange to a common bottom, the portion of each of saidside walls immediately below said peripheral flange being bent outwardlyrelative to said flange.

'7, In a collapsible trafiic signal, a dome memher having side wallsextending upwardly and inwardly from a base toward a common center, ahousing member for receiving said dome member when depressed, saidhousing member having an open top, the inner periphery of which issubstantially equal to the periphery of the said base of said dome, andmeans normally maintainsaid dome in extended position with the base ofsaid dome lying immediately below the plane or" said open top, saidhousing having side walls extending outwardly and downwardly from saidopen top to provide an angular surface of engagement between said domeand housing to reduce friction between the base of said dome and saidhousing member when said dome is moved downwardly under lateral anddownward impact, and means for resiliently guiding said dome to biassaid dome to movement in a vertical direction.

8. In a collapsible traffic signal, a dome member having side wallsextending upwardly and inwardly from a base toward a common center, ahousing member for receiving said dome member when depressed, saidhousing member having an open top, the inner periphery of which issubstantially equal to the periphery of the said base of said dome,means normally maintaining said dome in extended position with the baseof said dome lying immediately below the plane of said open top, saidhousing having side walls extending outwardly and downwardly from saidopen top to provide an angular surface of engagement between said domeand housing to reduce friction between the base of said dome and saidhousing member when said dome is moved downwardly under downward andlateral impact, and means for resiliently guiding said dome to bias dometo movement in a vertical direction, said biasing means comprising atube secured to the interior of said dome and a second tube movablysecured to said housing member and telescopically engaging said-namedtube.

JOHN T. BOATWRIGHT.

